Jozef Rapacki, CHRISTUS IN THE CORE OF CIRCLE, 1922

52.6 x 42.3cm - crayon, pastel, paper signed p.d.: JÓZEF RAPACKI | 1922

Józef Rapacki (Warsaw 1871 - Olszanka near Skierniewice 1929), called "painter of birches and lilac heather", was one of the most popular Warsaw landscape painters of the late 19th and first quarter of the 20th century. He began his painting education as a student of Wojciech Gerson at the Warsaw Drawing Class. He later went on to study at the School of Fine Arts in Cracow under Florian Cynk (1886-1887) and in Munich at Friedrich Fehr's private school (1888-1889). After his studies, he traveled to Italy several times. He participated in numerous exhibitions at the TZSP in Warsaw and in Lvov (1894 silver medal), Krakow, Vilnius, Kielce. He also exhibited abroad - in Berlin (1893) or Paris, where in 1900 he was awarded a diploma at the Universal World Exhibition. He belonged to the "Pro Arte" group. Since 1907 he lived permanently in Olszanka, a village on the edge of Puszcza Mariańska, near Skierniewice. He painted mainly realistic, atmospheric landscapes and genre scenes set in the landscape, as well as portraits and interiors. He cultivated graphic art (portfolios Z dawnej i niedawnej Warszawy and Pro memoria. Prusak in Poland), engaged in book illustration, and collaborated with Warsaw magazines, including Tygodnik Ilustrowanym, Wędrowiec, Świat and Biesiada Literacka.